All Whites striker Chris Wood has played a key role in recent weeks as Burnley have moved closer to English Premier League safety with back-to-back wins.

The Clarets firstly beat Wolves 2-0 before following that up with a 3-1 success over Bournemouth, massively boosting their chances of survival. Wood was at his best in both games, forcing Wolves skipper Conor Coady to turn the ball into his own net after hitting the post from a tight angle and going on to produce a man-of-the-match display in a crucial victory on the south coast.

The big Kiwi equalised for Burnley with a close-range header early on and turned provider in the second half, beating goalkeeper Asmir Begovic to a low cross before teeing up strike partner Ashley Barnes to fire home. The physicality of Wood was a constant thorn in Bournemouth’s side while no other player attempted more shots or played more key passes.

The six points were picked up at an ideal time for Burnley as they had suffered four straight defeats prior and needed to turn things around swiftly to avoid the drop. They can now all but secure their place in the top flight by beating Cardiff City this weekend.

Ferns return to action in States

Football Ferns duo Abby Erceg and Katie Bowen will go into the American National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) on a high after helping earn a 1-0 win for the national team over Norway.

Both played the full match as New Zealand claimed their first victory over a higher-ranked opponent in four years.

They will now return to their clubs in the United States, where they are the only two Kiwis in the NWSL.

The competition kicks off this weekend with Erceg skippering the North Carolina Courage in their title defence, which starts with a home game against Chicago Red Stars on Saturday. Bowen meanwhile is back at the Utah Royals, who will host Washington Spirit in their opener a week later.

Chance completes Ferns comeback

A lengthy spell on the sidelines has finally come to an end for Olivia Chance, who completed a long-awaited comeback from injury by taking the field on the Football Ferns’ two-match series against Norway in Spain.

The Everton midfielder had not played for her country in a year after suffering a knee injury but came on as a substitute in both games against Norway. She played for half an hour of the opening game – which was played behind closed doors and resulted in a 1-0 loss – before appearing late on in the official 1-0 win that followed.

“So happy to be back with the girls after a long year,” she posted on social media. “Thank you to everyone who has helped me through this long process to get me back in this position where I can step on the field.”

The 25-year-old will now aim to cap her comeback by being included in the Football Ferns squad for the upcoming FIFA Women’s World Cup, which takes place in France during June.

Reid ruled out for rest of season

There was bad news for All Whites and West Ham United fans this week as defender Winston Reid was ruled out for the rest of the English season.

The 30-year-old has not taken the field for over a year due to his battles with a knee injury and Hammers manager Manuel Pellegrini has now confirmed he will not be risked for the rest of the current campaign.

Reid – a West Ham player for nearly a decade – has been sidelined since he hurt his knee when tumbling to the turf after being knocked out against Swansea City in March of last year. He had surgery then but suffered a setback when he returned to training at the Hammers’ pre-season camp in Switzerland.

The All Whites skipper recently returned to the training pitch but Pellegrini has opted to give him the off season to complete his recovery.

Boxall takes win into stadium opening

Michael Boxall and his Minnesota United team mates will take some momentum into the first match in their new stadium after earning a tight 2-1 win over New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer (MLS).

Injury-enforced absences brought a change in formation as Boxall lined up in a back three and it worked well for the Loons as they took a 2-0 lead. The Red Bulls got one back with 20 minutes left to set up a nervy finish but Boxall and co held on to bounce back after a pair of defeats.

Minnesota will tackle another team from the Big Apple, New York City, as they raise the curtain on the purpose-built Allianz Field this Sunday.

Also in the MLS, Bill Tuiloma was handed a second consecutive start for the Portland Timbers in central defence but again couldn’t prevent a defeat as San Jose Earthquakes ran out 3-0 winners. The Timbers are yet to win a game and have now picked up just one point from a possible 15.

Fellow All White Deklan Wynne also started for Colorado Rapids but was likewise on the wrong end of the scoreline in a 4-3 loss to Orlando City.

Staying in America, a pair of Kiwis went head-to-head in the United Soccer League (USL) as Sam Brotherton’s North Carolina hosted Memphis 901, for whom Elliot Collier is on loan. Brotherton maintained his spot at centre back while Collier lined up on the right wing as the points were shared in a 1-1 draw.
 

Rojas puts in rare 90-minute shift 

In pleasing news for All Whites coach Fritz Schmid, playmaker Marco Rojas played a full 90 minutes in Denmark’s Superliga for the first time since making his debut for SønderjyskE a couple of months ago.

The ‘Kiwi Messi’ couldn’t use his sublime skills to inspire his side to a much-needed win though, SønderjyskE going down 4-1 to Vejle Boldklub. They have now gone three games without a win and are facing a battle against relegation.

Now 27, Rojas is just the second New Zealander to play in the Danish top flight after Winston Reid, who began his career with Midtjylland.

He signed for SønderjyskE in January in a bid to revive his European career after a frustrating spell at Heerenveen in the Dutch Eredivisie.

Woud makes debut in Dutch top-flight

After patiently bidding his time on the substitutes’ bench, hugely-promising young goalkeeper Michael Woud has finally made his debut in the Dutch top-flight.

With regular number one Timon Wellenreuther ruled out through injury, the Kiwi custodian was handed a starting berth as Willem II hosted Fortuna Sittard in the Eredivisie.

He was in for an eventful game as he made a smart save from a free kick early on but then, from an almost identical situation, parried the ball into the path of an oncoming attacker to open the scoring.

His blushes were spared though as Willem went on to claim a 3-2 win.

Article added: Thursday 11 April 2019